104-411: Bristol Beacon , previously Colston Hall , is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol , England. It is owned by Bristol City Council . Since 2011, it has been managed by Bristol Music Trust. The hall opened as a concert venue in 1867, and became a popular place for classical music and theatre. In the mid-20th century, wrestling matches were in strong demand, while in
208-525: A wind turbine . With the provision of several new bars in the new foyer building, the old bar area (formerly the Lesser Colston Hall and Little Theatre) was returned to performance use as The Lantern, accommodating a standing audience of 350. The redeveloped complex also provided additional performance spaces, meeting rooms, and restaurants. In 2011, management of Colston Hall transferred from Bristol City Council to Bristol Music Trust. In 2014,
312-480: A 20% tax on the unearned increase in the value of land , payable at the death of the owner or sale of the land, and 1 ⁄ 2 d. on undeveloped land and minerals, increased death duties, a rise in income tax, and the introduction of Supertax on income over £3,000. There were taxes also on luxuries, alcohol and tobacco, so that money could be made available for the new welfare programmes as well as new battleships. The nation's landowners (well represented in
416-578: A Caernarfon friend in 1888 that he was a "Welsh Nationalist of the Ellis type". One of Lloyd George's first acts as an MP was to organise an informal grouping of Welsh Liberal members with a programme that included; disestablishing and disendowing the Church of England in Wales, temperance reform, and establishing Welsh home rule . He was keen on decentralisation and thus Welsh devolution , starting with
520-474: A Welsh assembly in the 1979 Welsh devolution referendum . Lloyd George felt that disestablishment, land reform and other forms of Welsh devolution could only be achieved if Wales formed its own government within a federal imperial system. In 1895, in a failed Church in Wales Bill, Lloyd George added an amendment in a discreet attempt at forming a sort of Welsh home rule, a national council for appointment of
624-539: A by-election to become the Member of Parliament for Caernarvon Boroughs , in which seat he remained for 55 years. He served in Henry Campbell-Bannerman 's cabinet from 1905. After H. H. Asquith succeeded to the premiership in 1908, Lloyd George replaced him as Chancellor . To fund extensive welfare reforms he proposed taxes on land ownership and high incomes in the " People's Budget " (1909), which
728-459: A cost of £48 million. Because of significant unforeseen structural and heritage issues the works were extended. By 2022, costs had more than doubled to £107 million, making it a major area of investment, second only to the council's housing stock. The council's auditors criticised it for the overrun, saying the council had underestimated the complexity and difficulty of the work and failed to have effective management arrangements. In July 2022,
832-457: A cottage known as Highgate with her brother Richard, a shoemaker, lay minister and a strong Liberal. Richard Lloyd was a towering influence on his nephew and David adopted his uncle's surname to become "Lloyd George". Lloyd George was educated at the local Anglican school, Llanystumdwy National School , and later under tutors. He was brought up with Welsh as his first language; Roy Jenkins , another Welsh politician, notes that, "Lloyd George
936-482: A fanatical Welsh Nonconformity " for a quarter of a century. Lloyd George qualified as a solicitor in 1884 after being articled to a firm in Porthmadog and taking Honours in his final law examination. He set up his own practice in the back parlour of his uncle's house in 1885. Although many prime ministers have been barristers , Lloyd George is, as of 2024, the only solicitor to have held that office. As
1040-460: A few exceptions replaced their veto power over most bills with a power to delay them for up to two years. Although old-age pensions had already been introduced by Asquith as Chancellor, Lloyd George was largely responsible for the introduction of state financial support for the sick and infirm (known colloquially as "going on the Lloyd George" for decades afterwards)—legislation referred to as
1144-661: A hall near St. James' Priory and was supported by wealthy Liberals , who saw the Victoria Rooms in Clifton as too closely tied to the Tory interest. They demolished the old school building in order to build a concert hall, which opened on 20 September 1867. The architects were local firm Foster & Wood, working in the Bristol Byzantine style. The basement was used as a bonded warehouse handling cargoes from
SECTION 10
#17327976032741248-412: A humiliation intolerable for a great country like ours to endure. National honour is no party question. The security of our great international trade is no party question. He was warning both France and Germany, but the public response cheered solidarity with France and hostility toward Germany. Berlin was outraged, blaming Lloyd George for doing "untold harm both with regard to German public opinion and
1352-699: A liberal extension of the principle of Decentralization." During the next decade, Lloyd George campaigned in Parliament largely on Welsh issues, in particular for disestablishment and disendowment of the Church of England. When Gladstone retired in 1894 after the defeat of the second Home Rule Bill , the Welsh Liberal members chose him to serve on a deputation to William Harcourt to press for specific assurances on Welsh issues. When those assurances were not provided, they resolved to take independent action if
1456-633: A likely future cabinet member. The Act served to reunify the Liberals after their divisions over the Boer War and to increase Nonconformist influence in the party, which then included educational reform as policy in the 1906 election , which resulted in a Liberal landslide. All 34 Welsh seats returned a Liberal, except for one Labour seat in Merthyr Tydfil. Lloyd George also supported the romantic nationalist idea of Pan-Celtic unity and gave
1560-712: A listing of the theatres that support Broadway shows. David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor , (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leading the United Kingdom during the First World War , for social-reform policies, for his role in the Paris Peace Conference , and for negotiating
1664-797: A loose umbrella organisation covering the two federations, but with very little power. In time, it became known as the Liberal Party of Wales. Lloyd George had a connection to or promoted the establishment of the National Library of Wales , the National Museum of Wales and the Welsh Department of the Board of Education . He also showed considerable support for the University of Wales , that its establishment raised
1768-477: A number of resolutions by acclamation: county council control of schools, withholding money from schools or even withholding rates from unsupportive county councils. The Liberals soon gained control of all thirteen Welsh County Councils. Lloyd George continued to speak in England against the bill, but the campaign there was less aggressively led, taking the form of passive resistance to rate paying. In August 1904
1872-703: A policeman, as his life was in danger from the mob. At this time the Liberal Party was badly split as H. H. Asquith , R. B. Haldane and others were supporters of the war and formed the Liberal Imperial League . On 24 March Arthur Balfour , just about to take office as Prime Minister, introduced a bill which was to become the Education Act 1902 . Lloyd George supported the bill's proposals to bring voluntary schools (i.e. religious schools—mainly Church of England, and some Roman Catholic schools in certain inner city areas) in England and Wales under
1976-565: A poor state), and should also demand control of school governing bodies and a ban on religious tests for teachers; "no control, no cash" was Lloyd George's slogan. Lloyd George negotiated with A. G. Edwards , Anglican Bishop of St Asaph , and was prepared to settle on an "agreed religious syllabus" or even to allow Anglican teaching in schools, provided the county councils retained control of teacher appointments, but this compromise failed after opposition from other Anglican Welsh bishops. A well-attended meeting at Park Hall Cardiff (3 June 1903) passed
2080-477: A popular venue for many rock and pop music acts since the 1960s. The Beatles first performed at Colston Hall on 15 March 1963 as part of a package tour with Chris Montez and Tommy Roe . The group returned there to play the last gig of a British tour on 10 November 1964, where four fans managed to sneak backstage and tip flour over their heads. The Rolling Stones performed at Colston Hall with Ike & Tina Turner and The Yardbirds on 7 October 1966. From
2184-472: A powerful parliament for the Welsh people". Lloyd George himself stated in 1880 "Is it not high time that Wales should the powers to manage its own affairs" and in 1890, "Parliament is so overweighted that it cannot possibly devote the time and trouble necessary to legislate for the peculiar and domestic retirement of each and every separate province of Britain". These statements would later be used to advocate for
SECTION 20
#17327976032742288-672: A rare case of him doing so), ostensibly from Alfred Thomas , chairman of the Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party, but in reality instigated by Lloyd George, transferring control of Welsh schools from appointed boards to the elected county councils. The Education Act became law on 20 December 1902. Lloyd George now announced the real purpose of the amendment, described as a "booby trap" by his biographer John Grigg. The Welsh National Liberal Council soon adopted his proposal that county councils should refuse funding unless repairs were carried out to schools (many were in
2392-488: A resolution in support of Chamberlain at a local Liberal club and travelled to Birmingham to attend the first meeting of Chamberlain's new National Radical Union, but arrived a week too early. In 1907 Lloyd George would tell Herbert Lewis that he had thought Chamberlain's plan for a federal solution to the Home Rule Question correct in 1886 and still thought so, and that "If Henry Richmond, Osborne Morgan and
2496-574: A return to the hated church rates (which had been compulsory until 1868), and inspired a large grassroots campaign against the bill. Within days of the bill's unveiling (27 March), Lloyd George denounced "priestcraft" in a speech to his constituents, and he began an active campaign of speaking against the bill, both in public in Wales (with a few speeches in England) and in the House of Commons. On 12 November, Balfour accepted an amendment (willingly, but
2600-470: A smaller war cabinet . To combat food shortages caused by u-boats , he implemented the convoy system, established rationing, and stimulated farming. After supporting the disastrous French Nivelle Offensive in 1917, he had to reluctantly approve Field Marshal Haig 's plans for the Battle of Passchendaele , which resulted in huge casualties with little strategic benefit. Against British military commanders, he
2704-479: A solicitor, Lloyd George was politically active from the start, campaigning for his uncle's Liberal Party in the 1885 election . He was attracted by Joseph Chamberlain 's "unauthorised programme" of Radical reform. After the election, Chamberlain split with Gladstone in opposition to Irish Home Rule , and Lloyd George moved to join the Liberal Unionists . Uncertain of which wing to follow, he moved
2808-571: A speech at the 1904 Pan-Celtic Congress in Caernarfon . During his second-ever speech in the House of Commons, Lloyd George criticised the grandeur of the monarchy. Lloyd George wrote extensively for Liberal-supporting papers such as the Manchester Guardian and spoke on Liberal issues (particularly temperance—the " local option "—and national as opposed to denominational education) throughout England and Wales. He served as
2912-521: A stirring and patriotic speech at Mansion House on 21 July 1911. He stated: But if a situation were to be forced upon us in which peace could only be preserved by the surrender of the great and beneficent position Britain has won by centuries of heroism and achievement, by allowing Britain to be treated where her interests were vitally affected as if she were of no account in the Cabinet of nations, then I say emphatically that peace at that price would be
3016-608: A tax increase of £63 million in a full year. His last budget, on 4 May 1915, showed a growing concern for the effects of alcohol on the war effort, with large increases in duties, and a scheme of state control of alcohol sales in specified areas. The excise proposals were opposed by the Irish Nationalists and the Conservatives, and were abandoned. Lloyd George gained a heroic reputation with his energetic work as Minister of Munitions in 1915 and 1916, setting
3120-409: A triumph. He had won the case of social reform without losing the debate on Free Trade. Arthur Balfour denounced the budget as "vindictive, inequitable, based on no principles, and injurious to the productive capacity of the country." Roy Jenkins described it as the most reverberating since Gladstone's in 1860. In the House of Commons, Lloyd George gave a brilliant account of the budget, which
3224-493: The Manchester Guardian that Britain would keep out of the impending war. With the Cabinet divided, and most ministers reluctant for Britain to get involved, he struck Asquith as "statesmanlike" at the Cabinet meeting on 1 August, favouring keeping Britain's options open. The next day he seemed likely to resign if Britain intervened, but he held back at Cabinet on Monday 3 August, moved by the news that Belgium would resist Germany's demand of passage for her army across her soil. He
Bristol Beacon - Misplaced Pages Continue
3328-574: The Burial Laws Amendment Act 1880 but theretofore ignored by the Anglican clergy. On Lloyd George's advice, a Baptist burial party broke open a gate to a cemetery that had been locked against them by the vicar. The vicar sued them for trespass and although the jury returned a verdict for the party, the local judge misrecorded the jury's verdict and found in the vicar's favour. Suspecting bias, Lloyd George's clients won on appeal to
3432-652: The Conservative -dominated House of Lords rejected. The resulting constitutional crisis was only resolved after elections in 1910 and passage of the Parliament Act 1911 . His budget was enacted in 1910, and the National Insurance Act 1911 and other measures helped to establish the modern welfare state . In 1913, he was embroiled in the Marconi scandal , but remained in office and secured
3536-545: The Irish Free State in 1921. At home, he initiated education and housing reforms, but trade-union militancy rose to record levels, the economy became depressed in 1920 and unemployment rose; spending cuts followed in 1921–22, and in 1922 he became embroiled in a scandal over the sale of honours and the Chanak Crisis . The Carlton Club meeting decided the Conservatives should end the coalition and contest
3640-738: The Irish National Party . He abandoned this idea after being criticised in Welsh newspapers for bringing about the defeat of the Liberal Party in the 1895 election . In an AGM meeting in Newport on 16 January 1896 of the South Wales Liberal Federation, led by D. A. Thomas , a proposal was made to unite the North and South Liberal Federations with Cymru Fydd to form The Welsh National Federation. This
3744-543: The Liberal Reforms . Lloyd George also succeeded in putting through Parliament his National Insurance Act 1911 , making provision for sickness and invalidism, and a system of unemployment insurance. He was helped in his endeavours by forty or so backbenchers who regularly pushed for new social measures, often voted with Labour MPs. These social reforms in Britain were the beginnings of a welfare state and fulfilled
3848-536: The Local Government Act 1888 ) and would remain so for the rest of his life. Lloyd George would also serve the county as a Justice of the Peace (1910), chairman of Quarter Sessions (1929–38), and Deputy Lieutenant in 1921. Lloyd George married Margaret Owen , the daughter of a well-to-do local farming family, on 24 January 1888. Lloyd George's career as a member of parliament began when he
3952-724: The London Symphony Orchestra , Philharmonia Orchestra , the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra , Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Berliner Symphoniker in the 2011–12 season, as well as solo artists such as Murray Perahia . The hall can stage theatrical productions. From 22–30 December 2011 it hosted 15 performances of the Bristol Old Vic production of Coram Boy while the Old Vic was closed for refurbishment. The hall has been
4056-573: The Middle Ages . During the 13th century, a Carmelite friary called Whitefriars stood on the site. In the Tudor period , it was replaced by a mansion called The Great House , built in 1568 by Sir John Young , a member of a merchant family and courtier to Henry VIII . Queen Elizabeth I stayed there as a guest of the Youngs when visiting Bristol in 1574. In the late 17th century, a sugar house
4160-803: The National Government . In 1940, he refused to serve in Churchill's War Cabinet . He was elevated to the peerage in 1945, very shortly before his death. David George was born on 17 January 1863 in Chorlton-on-Medlock , Manchester, to Welsh parents William George and Elizabeth Lloyd George. William died in June 1864 of pneumonia, aged 44. David was just over one year old. Elizabeth George moved with her children to her native Llanystumdwy in Caernarfonshire, where she lived in
4264-541: The Second Boer War . Following Rosebery's lead, he based his attack firstly on what were supposed to be Britain's war aims—remedying the grievances of the [italicno] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= ( help ) and in particular the claim that they were wrongly denied the right to vote, saying "I do not believe the war has any connection with the franchise. It is a question of 45% dividends" and that England (which did not then have universal male suffrage)
Bristol Beacon - Misplaced Pages Continue
4368-708: The Society of Merchant Venturers . Colston adhered to a strict moral and religious code which was enforced in the school. After his death in 1721, the school continued at the Great Hall until 1857, when it moved to Stapleton . The site was acquired by the Colston Hall Company in 1861, who raised £12,000 in £10 shares. The company had grown out of an effort by the Bristol Temperance Progressionist Society to build
4472-417: The (long defunct) Bristol Symphony Orchestra. The British Library holds details of the 1912 festival at the hall which, among other concerts, included a performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle over four days. Sergei Rachmaninoff performed at the hall in the 1920s, and a concert programme from 1969 lists forthcoming weekly classical concerts with soloists such as Arthur Rubinstein and Igor Oistrakh as well as
4576-737: The 1960s. The last match was held in 2004. Citations Sources Various collections of records of Colston Hall are held at Bristol Archives , including (Ref. 44291)( online catalogue Archived 13 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine ) and (Ref. M/BCC/COL) ( online catalogue ). Concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may occasionally be used for concerts. Brod Tambura Orchestra The Lark Balbriggan See also Broadway theatre for
4680-566: The Admiralty, of "the emphatic pledges given by all of us at the last general election to reduce the gigantic expenditure on armaments built up by the recklessness of our predecessors." He then proposed the programme be reduced from six to four dreadnoughts . This was adopted by the government, but there was a public storm when the Conservatives, with covert support from the First Sea Lord, Admiral Jackie Fisher , campaigned for more with
4784-584: The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the (now defunct) Bristol Sinfonia, conducted by Sidney Sager and concerts by Bristol Choral Society , which has staged at least three concerts annually at the hall since its formation in 1889. There is an annual International Classical Concert Season featuring regular appearances by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and visiting UK and international orchestras such as
4888-683: The Divisional Court of Queen's Bench in London, where Lord Chief Justice Coleridge found in their favour. The case was hailed as a great victory throughout Wales and led to Lloyd George's adoption as the Liberal candidate for Carnarvon Boroughs on 27 December 1888. The same year, he and other young Welsh Liberals founded a monthly paper, Udgorn Rhyddid (Bugle of Freedom). In 1889, Lloyd George became an alderman on Carnarvonshire County Council (a new body which had been created by
4992-658: The Exchequer from 1908 to 1915. While he continued some work from the Board of Trade—for example, legislation to establish the Port of London Authority and to pursue traditional Liberal programmes such as licensing law reforms—his first major trial in this role was over the 1909–1910 Naval Estimates. The Liberal manifesto at the 1906 general election included a commitment to reduce military expenditure. Lloyd George strongly supported this, writing to Reginald McKenna , First Lord of
5096-470: The House of Commons greatly amended but was completely mangled by the House of Lords. For the rest of the year Lloyd George made numerous public speeches attacking the House of Lords for mutilating the bill with wrecking amendments, in defiance of the Liberals' electoral mandate to reform the 1902 Act. Lloyd George was rebuked by King Edward VII for these speeches: the Prime Minister defended him to
5200-550: The House of Commons that he had not speculated in the shares of "that company". He had in fact bought shares in the American Marconi Company. Lloyd George was instrumental in fulfilling a long-standing aspiration to disestablish the Anglican Church of Wales. As with Irish Home Rule , previous attempts to enact this had failed in the 1892–1895 Governments, and were now made possible by the removal of
5304-466: The House of Commons were not paid at that time, so Lloyd George supported himself and his growing family by continuing to practise as a solicitor. He opened an office in London under the name of "Lloyd George and Co." and continued in partnership with William George in Criccieth . In 1897, he merged his growing London practice with that of Arthur Rhys Roberts (who was to become Official Solicitor ) under
SECTION 50
#17327976032745408-648: The House of Lords and removed (disendowed) certain pre-1662 property rights. Lloyd George was as surprised as almost everyone else by the outbreak of the First World War . On 23 July 1914, almost a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and on the eve of the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum to Serbia, he made a speech advocating "economy" in the House of Commons, saying that Britain's relations with Germany were better than for many years. On 27 July he told C. P. Scott of
5512-465: The House of Lords) were intensely angry at the new taxes, mostly at the proposed very high tax on land values, but also because the instrumental redistribution of wealth could be used to detract from an argument for protective tariffs. The immediate consequences included the end of the Liberal League , and Rosebery breaking friendship with the Liberal Party, which in itself was for Lloyd George
5616-504: The King's secretary Francis Knollys , stating that his behaviour in Parliament was more constructive but that in speeches to the public "the combative spirit seems to get the better of him". No compromise was possible and the bill was abandoned, allowing the 1902 Act to continue in effect. As a result of Lloyd George's lobbying, a separate department for Wales was created within the Board of Education. Nonconformists were bitterly upset by
5720-558: The Little Theatre in 1961, and Bristol Old Vic took it over from 1963 until 1980. Thereafter, the Little Theatre was turned into a bar, which the hall, due to its temperance origins, had always lacked. The first computerised booking system was installed in February 1983. In 1990, the hall briefly closed as part of a £500,000 modernisation programme to rewire the building and improve the technical facilities, as well as redecorate
5824-514: The Lords' veto in 1911, and as with Home Rule the initial bill (1912) was delayed for two years by the Lords, becoming law in 1914 , only to be suspended for the duration of the war . After the Welsh Church (Temporalities) Act 1919 was passed, Welsh Disestablishment finally came into force in 1920. This Act also removed the right of the six Welsh Bishops in the new Church in Wales to sit in
5928-401: The Rapier Players from 1935. The second hall was closed for remodelling in 1935, as it was difficult for all of the audience to see the orchestra performing. It re-opened the following December. Though much of Bristol was bombed during the Battle of Britain , the Colston Hall survived most of the Second World War. On 5 February 1945, a discarded cigarette started a large fire that burned down
6032-402: The South East and thus, difficulty in gaining support for Home Rule for Wales, Lloyd George shifted his focus to improving the socio-economic environment of Wales as part of the United Kingdom and the British Empire . Although Lloyd George considered himself a "Welshman first", he saw the opportunities for Wales within the UK. In 1898, Lloyd George created the Welsh National Liberal Council,
6136-408: The Welsh Church commissioners. Although not condemned by Tom Ellis MP, this was to the annoyance of J. Bryn Roberts MP and the Home Secretary H. H. Asquith MP. He was also a co-leader of Cymru Fydd , a national Welsh party with liberal values with the goals of promoting a "stronger Welsh identity" and establishing a Welsh government. He hoped that Cymru Fydd would become a force like
6240-507: The Welsh members had stood by Chamberlain on an agreement as regards the [Welsh] disestablishment, they would have carried Wales with them" His legal practice quickly flourished; he established branch offices in surrounding towns and took his brother William into partnership in 1887. Lloyd George's legal and political triumph came in the Llanfrothen burial case, which established the right of Nonconformists to be buried according to denominational rites in parish burial grounds, as given by
6344-446: The aim of dampening down the demands of the growing working class for rather more radical solutions to their impoverishment. Under his leadership, after 1909 the Liberals extended minimum wages to farmworkers. Lloyd George was an opponent of warfare but he paid little attention to foreign affairs until the Agadir Crisis of 1911. After consulting Edward Grey (the foreign minister) and H. H. Asquith (the prime minister) he gave
SECTION 60
#17327976032746448-421: The backstage area. In 1999, removable seats were installed in the front of the stalls, to cater for rock concerts where fans at the front wanted to move around freely, as well as increasing capacity. The official capacity of the hall was then 2,075. From 2007 to 2009, the Colston Hall underwent extensive refurbishment with the construction of a new foyer alongside the present building by Willmott Dixon , topped by
6552-422: The control of local school boards, who would conduct inspections and appoint two out of each school's six managers. However, other measures were more contentious: the majority-religious school managers would retain the power to employ or sack teachers on religious grounds and would receive money from the rates (local property taxes). This offended nonconformist opinion, then in a period of revival, as it seemed like
6656-435: The devolution of the Church in Wales saying in 1890: "I am deeply impressed with the fact that Wales has wants and inspirations of her own which have too long been ignored, but which must no longer be neglected. First and foremost amongst these stands the cause of Religious Liberty and Equality in Wales. If returned to Parliament by you, it shall be my earnest endeavour to labour for the triumph of this great cause. I believe in
6760-442: The disestablishment of the Church of England in Wales. In 1915, Lloyd George became Minister of Munitions and expanded artillery shell production for the war. In 1916, he was appointed Secretary of State for War but was frustrated by his limited power and clashes with Army commanders over strategy. Asquith proved ineffective as prime minister and was replaced by Lloyd George in December 1916. He centralised authority by creating
6864-451: The docks. The original hall included a coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling, and was modelled after St George's Hall, Liverpool . The foyer building with the grand staircase and the smaller hall (the Lesser Colston Hall, now the Lantern) were opened in 1873. A meeting calling for women's suffrage was held at the hall in November 1880. On 1 September 1898, a fire broke out in the neighbouring Clark's clothing factory, which quickly spread to
6968-457: The establishment of the Irish Free State . He was the last Liberal prime minister; the party fell into third-party status towards the end of his premiership. Lloyd George gained a reputation as an orator and proponent of a Welsh blend of radical Liberal ideas, which included support for Welsh devolution , disestablishment of the Church of England in Wales , equality for labourers and tenant farmers, and reform of land ownership. In 1890 he won
7072-403: The failure of the Liberal Party to reform the 1902 Education Act, its most important promise to them, and over time their support for the Liberal Party slowly fell away. At the Board of Trade Lloyd George introduced legislation on many topics, from merchant shipping and the Port of London to companies and railway regulation. His main achievement was in stopping a proposed national strike of
7176-424: The first net zero concert hall in the UK by 2030, and the refurbishment includes 348 solar panels providing 12% of the venue's electricity. In 2014, campaigners called for the hall's name to be changed because of Edward Colston’s involvement in the slave trade, much of his wealth having come from that trade, and his investments in the Royal African Company . The Bristol group Massive Attack vowed not to play at
7280-447: The first live performances of The Dark Side of the Moon at Colston Hall on 5 February 1972, over a year before the album was released. Queen headlined Colston Hall three times, firstly on Tuesday 12 November 1974 as part of the Sheer Heart Attack Tour , returning on 17 and 18 November 1975 as part of the A Night At The Opera Tour . Subsequent tours would see them play at the Bristol Hippodrome . In addition to rock and pop artists,
7384-417: The first year of the Great War. The budget of 17 November 1914 had to allow for lower taxation receipts because of the reduction in world trade. The Crimean and Boer Wars had largely been paid for out of taxation, but Lloyd George raised debt financing of £321 million. Large (but deferred) increases in Supertax and income tax rates were accompanied by increases in excise duties, and the budget produced
7488-653: The government brought in the Education (Local Authority Default) Act giving the Board of Education power to take charge of schools, which Lloyd George immediately nicknamed the "Coercion of Wales Act". He addressed another convention in Cardiff on 6 October 1904, during which he proclaimed that the Welsh flag was "a dragon rampant, not a sheep recumbent". Under his leadership, the convention pledged not to maintain elementary schools, or to withdraw children from elementary schools altogether so that they could be taught privately by
7592-466: The government did not bring a bill for disestablishment. When a bill was not forthcoming, he and three other Welsh Liberals ( D. A. Thomas , Herbert Lewis and Frank Edwards ) refused the whip on 14 April 1894, but accepted Lord Rosebery 's assurance and rejoined the official Liberals on 29 May. Historian Emyr Price referred to Lloyd George as "the first architect of Welsh devolution and its most famous advocate" as well as "the pioneering advocate of
7696-460: The hall for a second time. The organ was destroyed, and the main auditorium was reduced to pieces of charred wood and hot metal. The hall was refurbished and initially used in 1951 to commemorate the Festival of Britain . It was designed by J Nelson Meredith and constructed by William Cowlin. It included improvements in the building's acoustics and a modern heating and ventilation system. The organ
7800-447: The hall regularly hosts comedians (including multiple-date sell-out runs by Billy Connolly and Bristol-born Stephen Merchant ). An annual silent comedy festival takes place there. Colston Hall was popular for wrestling matches from 1951. By the end of the decade, demand for matches was so strong that seats were block booked from one day to the next. Harold Sakata made several wrestling appearances there before moving into acting in
7904-488: The hall to discuss the production of munitions, while in 1919 a Roll of Honour ceremony took place there for soldiers who had been decorated for their service during the war. The Bristol Corporation, which later became Bristol City Council , bought the building for £65,000 in 1919. The Lesser Colston Hall became the Little Theatre in 1923, initially under the control of the Rotary Club , then Little Theatre Ltd in 1929 and
8008-492: The hall was expected to reopen in late 2023. In January 2023, costs again increased by £25 million, bringing the total to £132 million, of which Bristol Council is responsible for £84 million. Renamed to the Bristol Beacon, it reopened on 30 November 2023, with a capacity of 1,800 (2,100 standing) in the main hall and two additional auditoria in the cellars and a former recital room. The venue plans to become
8112-481: The hall while it was in use for the Trades Union Congress . The auditorium suffered extensive damage, with only the walls remaining, and the pipe organ was completely destroyed. The foyer was the only part of the building to survive in its original condition. The hall was rebuilt, and re-opened in 1901. It was in use throughout the First World War; in 1915, David Lloyd George addressed a meeting in
8216-552: The industry which makes the wealth of the country?". In a break with convention , the budget was defeated by the Conservative majority in the House of Lords. The elections of 1910 narrowly upheld the Liberal government. The 1909 budget was passed on 28 April 1910 by the Lords and received the Royal Assent on the 29th. Subsequently, the Parliament Act 1911 removed the House of Lords' power to block money bills, and with
8320-414: The late 1960s it developed into one of the most important rock music venues in Britain. The hall has been redeveloped several times, and was gutted by fires in 1898 and 1945, though the original Bristol Byzantine foyer has survived. A major refurbishment, adding an extra wing, opened in 2009. The hall closed in 2018 for repair and refurbishment work, and reopened on 30 November 2023. Formerly named after
8424-740: The late 1960s onwards, Colston Hall became one of the major rock music venues in the country. Jimi Hendrix played twice at the hall in 1967. David Bowie , Elton John , Queen , Thin Lizzy , Roxy Music , Iron Maiden , Bob Marley and Lou Reed all performed there. Bob Dylan performed there on 10 May 1966, the last month of his controversial world tour. The Who first played Colston Hall on 10 November 1968, part-way through recording Tommy , with support from Free , and returned on 7 March 1970. Led Zeppelin played at Colston Hall in June 1969, part-way through recording Led Zeppelin II . Pink Floyd gave one of
8528-636: The legal adviser of Theodor Herzl in his negotiations with the British government regarding the Uganda Scheme , proposed as an alternative homeland for the Jews due to Turkish refusal to grant a charter for Jewish settlement in Palestine. In 1905, Lloyd George entered the new Liberal Cabinet of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman as President of the Board of Trade . The first priority on taking office
8632-427: The name of "Lloyd George, Roberts and Co." Kenneth O. Morgan describes Lloyd George as a "lifelong Welsh nationalist" and suggests that between 1880 and 1914 he was "the symbol and tribune of the national reawakening of Wales ", although he is also clear that from the early 1900s his main focus gradually shifted to UK-wide issues. He also became an associate of Tom Ellis , MP for Meirionydd, having previously told
8736-562: The negotiations." Count Metternich , Germany's ambassador in London, said, "Mr Lloyd George's speech came upon us like a thunderbolt". In 1913, Lloyd George, along with Rufus Isaacs , the Attorney General, was involved in the Marconi scandal . Accused of speculating in Marconi shares on the inside information that they were about to be awarded a key government contract (which would have caused them to increase in value), he told
8840-442: The next election alone. Lloyd George resigned as prime minister, but continued as the leader of a Liberal faction. After an awkward reunion with Asquith's faction in 1923, Lloyd George led the weak Liberal Party from 1926 to 1931. He proposed innovative schemes for public works and other reforms, but made only modest gains in the 1929 election . After 1931, he was a mistrusted figure heading a small rump of breakaway Liberals opposed to
8944-465: The nonconformist churches. In Travis Crosbie's words, public resistance to the Education Act had caused a "perfect impasse". There was no progress between Welsh counties and Westminster until 1905. Having already gained national recognition for his anti-Boer War campaigns, Lloyd George's leadership of the attacks on the Education Act gave him a strong parliamentary reputation and marked him as
9048-508: The railway unions by brokering an agreement between the unions and the railway companies. While almost all the companies refused to recognise the unions, Lloyd George persuaded the companies to recognise elected representatives of the workers who sat with the company representatives on conciliation boards—one for each company. If those boards failed to agree then an arbitrator would be called upon. On Campbell-Bannerman's death, he succeeded Asquith, who had become prime minister, as Chancellor of
9152-666: The sick or wounded soldiers and were starving Boer women and children in concentration camps. But his major thrusts were reserved for the Chamberlains, accusing them of war profiteering through the family company Kynoch Ltd, of which Chamberlain's brother was chairman. The firm had won tenders to the War Office , though its prices were higher than some of its competitors. After speaking at a meeting in Birmingham Lloyd George had to be smuggled out disguised as
9256-573: The slave trader, merchant and philanthropist Edward Colston , who founded Colston's School on the site in the early 18th century, it was renamed after a number of years of campaigning because of Colston's ties to the Atlantic slave trade . The renaming was brought forward in September 2020 following anti-racism protests in Bristol that summer. There has been a building on the site of the hall since
9360-447: The slogan "We want eight and we won't wait". This resulted in Lloyd George's defeat in Cabinet and the adoption of estimates including provision for eight dreadnoughts. During this period he was also a target of protest by the women's suffrage movement, for he professed personal support for extension of the suffrage but did not move for changes within the Parliament process. In 1909, Lloyd George introduced his People's Budget , imposing
9464-653: The status of Welsh people and that the university deserved greater funding by the UK government. Lloyd George had been impressed by his journey to Canada in 1899. Although sometimes wrongly supposed—both at the time and subsequently—to be a Little Englander , he was not an opponent of the British Empire per se , but in a speech at Birkenhead (21 November 1901) he stressed that it needed to be based on freedom, including for India, not "racial arrogance". Consequently, he gained national fame by displaying vehement opposition to
9568-503: The trust announced a fundraising campaign to raise £45 million to refurbish and modernise the main hall. Proposed works included converting the cellars into studios, and other internal modernisations. By 2016, £25 million had been raised by Bristol City Council, the national government, and Arts Council England . Work began in 2019, carried out by Willmott Dixon, with completion set for 2023. The hall closed in 2018 for safety and refurbishment work, due to be completed in 2020 at
9672-432: The venue while it retained its name. The proposal led to a debate in the pages of the local press. In April 2017, the charity that runs the hall stated that it was going to change the name of the venue after completion of refurbishment works. On 15 June 2020 the lettering "Colston Hall" was removed from the exterior, and the charity announced that a new name would be disclosed later in that year. The new name "Bristol Beacon"
9776-429: Was Welsh, that his whole culture, his whole outlook, his language was Welsh." Though brought up a devout evangelical, Lloyd George privately lost his religious faith as a young man. Biographer Don Cregier says he became "a Deist and perhaps an agnostic, though he remained a chapel-goer and connoisseur of good preaching all his life." He was nevertheless, according to Frank Owen , "one of the foremost fighting leaders of
9880-570: Was a proposal which the North Wales Liberal Federation had already agreed to. However, the South Wales Liberal Federation rejected this. According to Lloyd George, he was shouted down by "Newport Englishmen" in the meeting, although the South Wales Argus suggested the poor crowd behaviour came from Lloyd George's supporters. Following difficulty in uniting the Liberal federations along with Cymru Fydd in
9984-561: Was announced on 23 September 2020; Louise Mitchell, chief executive of the Bristol Music Trust, said that the renaming would be "a symbol of hope and community". Details of early performances at the hall are limited due to the subsequent fires, but the archive of the Royal College of Music holds programmes from 1896 onwards which reference a triennial musical festival that was founded in 1873, as well as performances by
10088-429: Was attacked by the Conservatives. On the stump, notably at his Limehouse speech in 1909, he denounced the Conservatives and the wealthy classes with all his very considerable oratorical power. Excoriating the House of Lords in another speech, Lloyd George said, "should 500 men, ordinary men, chosen accidentally from among the unemployed, override the judgement—the deliberate judgement—of millions of people who are engaged in
10192-583: Was established here by the merchant venturer Edward Colston to refine sugar that was brought in from the Caribbean to Bristol Harbour. The sugar refinery included thirteen cottages for workers in its grounds which extended towards the current site of the Red Lodge Museum . In 1708, Colston established the Colston Boys' School in this building in order to educate the poor. It was managed by
10296-869: Was finally able to see the Allies brought under one command in March 1918. The war effort turned in Allied favour and was won in November. Following the December 1918 "Coupon" election , he and the Conservatives maintained their coalition with popular support. Lloyd George was a leading proponent at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, but the situation in Ireland worsened, erupting into the Irish War of Independence , which lasted until Lloyd George negotiated independence for
10400-511: Was more in need of franchise reform than the Boer republics. A second attack came on the cost of the war, which, he argued, prevented overdue social reform in England, such as old-age pensions and workmen's cottages. As the fighting continued his attacks moved to its conduct by the generals, who, he said (basing his words on reports by William Burdett-Coutts in The Times ), were not providing for
10504-574: Was rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison and housed in a grille behind the stage, out of view of most of the audience. It has 5,372 pipes, ranging from 1 inch (whistle) to 32 feet (sub-bass). Acts from the United States began to appear at the hall, having been restricted by the Musicians' Union for the previous 20 years. In 1966, the building was Grade II listed by English Heritage . The Rapier Players had given notice to terminate their lease of
10608-480: Was returned as a Liberal MP for Caernarfon Boroughs (now Caernarfon ), narrowly winning the by-election on 10 April 1890 , following the death of the Conservative member Edmund Swetenham . He would remain an MP for the same constituency until 1945, 55 years later. Lloyd George's early beginnings in Westminster may have proven difficult for him as a radical liberal and "a great outsider". Backbench members of
10712-401: Was seen as a key figure whose stance helped to persuade almost the entire Cabinet to support British intervention. He was able to give the more pacifist members of the cabinet and the Liberal Party a principle—the rights of small nations—which meant they could support the war and maintain united political and popular support. Lloyd George remained in office as Chancellor of the Exchequer for
10816-566: Was the repeal of the 1902 Education Act. Lloyd George took the lead along with Augustine Birrell , President of the Board of Education. Lloyd George appears to have been the dominant figure on the committee drawing up the bill in its later stages and insisted that the bill create a separate education committee for Wales. Birrell complained privately that the bill, introduced in the Commons on 9 April 1906, owed more to Lloyd George and that he himself had had little say in its contents. The bill passed
#273726